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Spinosaurus
'Spinosaurus' (name meaning "''Spine Lizard") is a genus of large spinosaurid theropod dinosaur that originated during the Middle Cretaceous period in what is now North Africa. Around 14 meters in length and weighing close to 16 tons, Spinosaurus was among the largest theropod dinosaurs ever to walk the Earth. It is also one of the world's most famous dinosaurs, recognizable for its long arms, crocodilian-like head, and the large sail on its back, similar to Dimetrodon. In the Series 2 episode, "Clash of the Titans", a single Spinosaurus was brought to the park. It resides in Spinosaurus Rainforest. Facts Era & Discovery Spinosaurus lived during the Middle Cretaceous period in North Africa from 112–93 million years ago and was the dominant predator of its time. Discovered by famous German paleontologist Ernst Stromer in 1912, it was originally depicted with a skull resembling that of a Megalosaurid. During WWII, the type specimen was lost during an allied bombing raid, since the museum it was housed in was across the street from the Nazi headquarters. The old depictions made it look like a Megalosaur with a sail on its back, but then in 1986, the well-known dinosaur Baryonyx was discovered and that changed the look of Spinosaurus forever, giving it the new view to more of a bipedal crocodile with massive, muscular arms and a sail on its back. Since its discovery, Spinosaurus has become one of the most famous prehistoric creatures in the world. Physical Attributes Spinosaurus was a light-built but very large bipedal theropod dinosaur, standing around 17 feet (5.3 m) tall, measured 45 feet (13.9 m) long, and weighed 7–16 tons (14,000–32,000 lbs.), approximately twice the height and length of a pickup truck, making it one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs that ever existed, third counting Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. Spinosaurus had long jaws that measured up to 5.5 feet (1.7 m) long, and conical teeth evolved to snatch fish from the water. The conical shape spread the stress forces of struggling prey moving frantically in their jaws, in a more even manner, similar to a crocodile. Spinosaurus also possessed a long, narrow crocodile-like snout filled with conical, non-serrated teeth, and it was recognizable by six-foot-tall neural spines along its back which were connected by a membrane to form a sail-like structure. Similar to but larger compared to both Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus, Spinosaurus had a large sail on its back that measured up to 6–8 feet tall, which allowed to heat up via turning it towards the sun if it was ever cold or lose heat if it was too hot. It also had very long, five-foot forearms, and while it spent much of its time on its two legs, it was shown to occasionally crouch down onto all fours. It had massive, clawed forearms that were up to 7 feet (2.1 m) long and used them to walk if needed. It had a long flexible tail, like a crocodile, to propel it through the water. It had a long neck up to 7.5 feet (2.3 m) long for mobility when catching fish. Behavior & Traits Spinosaurus was discovered to be a solitary animal, only getting together with other members of its species during mating season. It competed for food with its rival, Carcharodontosaurus. This massive carnivore preyed on fish, dinosaurs, and pterosaurs alike. Its crocodile-like skull, and especially the holes which were said to contain sensors, support this notion. In its natural habitat, Spinosaurus was a territorial, volatile, and aggressive creature which would chase after any potential prey it caught in its territory, and it would return once it knew that there was good prey in the area. In both hunts and combat, Spinosaurus would rely on its jaws as a weapon for crushing to death and eating its prey and opponents. Spinosaurus lived mainly in the mangroves and floodplains of Africa hunting fish, but it would hunt large terrestrial animals if needed. Journal Entry Gallery 4x1Spinosaurus5.png 4x1Spinosaurus9.png 4x1Spinosaurus8.png Trivia *''Spinosaurus'' is the third-largest predatory dinosaur brought to the park. *The sound effects for Spinosaurus are that of walrus, sea lion, and crocodilian sounds as well as many of the classical Sharptooth roars with sounds used in the first, second, and sixth "Land Before Time". Category:Prehistoric Animals Category:Dinosaurs Category:Reptiles Category:Cretaceous Dinosaurs Category:Cretaceous Wildlife Category:Largest Carnivorous Dinosaurs Category:Most Famous Prehistoric Creatures Category:Carnivores Category:Apex Predators Category:Theropods Category:Piscivores